Manchester City 4 Manchester City's increasingly forlorn survival bid took another hammer blow last night as an under-strength Arsenal plundered Moss Side, filled their boots and left the home side singing the lazer blues.
This might have been an Oceanic World Cup qualifying mis-match such was the visitors' humiliating superiority as they homed in on a lucrative second-place. City, teetering precariously on the brink, look doomed to finish second bottom.
The time has come for scapegoats at Maine Road. Following a run of high-profile slip-ups, Nicky Weaver made way in the home goal for Carlo Nash, the former catwalk model who arrived at City via Clitheroe, Crystal Palace and Stockport.
The unhappy Weaver was demoted despite his manager Joe Royle insisting that he would go on to play for England, preferring to point to Sunday's array of eyecatching stops rather than his late howler at Everton.
Early on, after Shaun Goater headed Danny Tiatto's corner over the bar, the visitors sprung devastatingly into life. Ashley Cole, trotting unchallenged down the left, crossed for Sylvain Wiltord on the edge of the six-yard box. The Frenchman miscontrolled the pass but the ball obligingly ran for Freddie Ljungberg, charging unmarked into the area, to tap home.
City had barely recovered when Ray Parlour skipped down the right and centred for Wiltord. This time the striker's touch was true as he spun, bamboozling his marker Richard Dunne, and fired low across Nash and inside the far post.
What there was of the home defending would have embarrassed American Samoa and duly yielded a third goal after 16 minutes. Kanu, spinning beyond Jeff Whitley, split the gaping rearguard with a sumptuous flick. Ljungberg sprinted into the space and lifted his shot over Nash into the back of the net.
The home side took to bustling their way forward, virtually gung-ho with a livid crowd berating every slack pass. From their fourth corner Gerard Wiekens let fly from the edge of the area; true to form, the ball cannoned back off the luckless Goater.
But Arsenal were show-boating; their defence soaked up the sporadic long-balls which did not catch Paulo Wanchope offside while their midfield oozed class.
Nine minutes before the interval Wiltord back-heeled through a static and disjointed back-line. Cole ran into the space and, having drawn Nash, squared for Kanu. The Nigerian might have slotted home with his first touch; instead he had time to turn, cushion the ball and shoot past Steve Howey on the goal-line.
By the time Igors Stepanovs ambled forward to force Nash into his first save - albeit from just inside the home half - City fans were leaving in their droves.
MANCHESTER CITY: Nash, Dunne, Granville, Haaland, Howey, Wiekens, Tiatto, Kennedy, Whitley (Charvet 74), Wanchope (Huckerby 73), Goater. Subs Not Used: Ostenstad, Kanchelskis, Weaver. Booked: Kennedy, Granville.
ARSENAL: Seaman, Cole, Luzhny, Stepanovs, Keown, Lauren, Ljungberg, Parlour (Vivas 78), Kanu, Wiltord (Henry 74), Edu (Vieira 69). Subs Not Used: Manninger, Silvinho. Goals: Ljungberg 8, Wiltord 8, Ljungberg 16, Kanu 36.
Referee: N Barry (Scunthorpe)
